Pete Hegseth Turns Pentagon Into Christian Nationalist Command Center

Sinclair Lewis warned that when fascism comes to America, it would wrap itself in the flag and carry a cross. Meet Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary who took that prediction as a playbook.

Hegseth has turned the Pentagon into ground zero for his Christian nationalist crusade. He's not subtle about it. In a speech rallying support for troops fighting in Iran, he urged Americans to pray "every day, on bended knee, with your family, in your schools, in your churches, in the name of Jesus Christ." At a White House dinner for governors in February, he prayed to "King Jesus." Speaking to evangelical broadcasters, he declared the United States was founded on Christian principles, claiming "there's a direct through line from the Old and New Testament Christian gospels to the development of Western civilization and the United States of America."

This isn't just rhetoric. Hegseth has invited a Christian nationalist mentor to lecture and lead prayers at the Pentagon -- a flagrant violation of the separation of church and state. Non-Christian service members and chaplains who serve soldiers of all faiths are growing alarmed, but fear speaking out means career suicide.

Purging the Ranks

Hegseth's religious crusade goes hand-in-hand with a systematic purge of military leadership. He claims the armed forces have become "too soft" and infected with "woke culture." His solution: fire or force out senior officers who don't share his worldview, most recently the Army chief of staff. He has blocked promotions for women and Black generals while pardoning soldiers convicted of war crimes. In Hegseth's twisted logic, military justice is "wrongheaded" when it holds war criminals accountable.

Retired Army Colonel Larry Wilkerson, who served as chief of staff to Colin Powell, says Hegseth violates "everything that transpired before it." Retired Army Major General Randy Manner reports talking with "dozens and dozens" of active-duty chaplains who say those who don't align with Hegseth "are being marginalized."

A senior Army civilian who has worked in the Pentagon for decades told the New York Times that people are afraid to talk to one another or their superiors about concerns over Hegseth's actions. The fear is real -- and justified. Retired officers are speaking out because active-duty personnel risk retribution.

Silencing the Press

Like Trump, Hegseth despises a free press that asks uncomfortable questions. The Pentagon has been under assault virtually from the moment he took office. Reporters were forced to sign a 21-page agreement warning against "soliciting" information -- including unclassified material -- without official authorization. Anyone who violated the policy would be characterized as a "security risk."

The policy would have forced journalists to refrain from publishing anything not approved by the military -- a blatant violation of First Amendment protections. Nearly every media outlet refused to sign, though a few far-right journalists complied.

On March 20, a federal judge ruled the Pentagon's restrictions unconstitutional in a case brought by the Los Angeles Times. Judge Paul Friedman agreed the rules violated the First Amendment and Due Process Clause. He was incredulous at the Justice Department's argument that journalists don't have First Amendment protections when they solicit "unauthorized information." "Why not?" the judge asked. Journalists may ask questions, officials may refuse to answer.

Days after the ruling, the Pentagon retaliated by ordering journalists be hosted in an annex to the building rather than inside it, as has been customary for decades.

A Visceral Love of Violence

Hegseth truly believes the armed forces have a Christian mission endorsed by God -- which includes bombing Muslim nations into oblivion. He has framed boat attacks that killed at least 157 people as part of a broader war to defend Christian nations from "narco communism" and tyranny. As he put it: "We negotiate by bombing."

This is a man with a visceral love of violence who claims "there would be no Europe and no America" without the Crusades -- a gross distortion of history that nevertheless shapes his view of national security. Trump echoed Hegseth's language in his April 1 address, promising to bomb Iran "back to the stone age."

Pope Leo's Easter message offered a stark contrast: "Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!"

But Pete Hegseth isn't listening. He's too busy wrapping his crusade in the flag and carrying his cross straight through the Constitution.